"Construction of a grand temple is associated with the faith of crores of people of the country. Ram is the symbol of prestige, pride and dignity of the country. Unfortunately due to pseudo-secularism and vote bank politics it is being opposed. BJP is committed to remove all hurdles in the path of construction of Ram temple," the manifesto said.
With all due respect to the faithful, many of them too will agree that outside of the puja room and temples Lord Ram is not associated with how the country is viewed. Was his name uttered to fight the Mughals or the British? Before the Ramjanmabhoomi movement gained ground, did the country lack in pride, prestige and dignity? When tourists go to religious monuments, are they doing so because those represent national pride? Have visits to the Ayodhya site increased since the demolition of the Babri Masjid because suddenly Indians have discovered their dignity is dependent on it? How many people have given up their worldly desires to simulate banwaas (exile) and internalise the pain of what a coloniser built over Ram’s birthplace?
Is this the pride of a country that secures and barricades a place after destroying something by making incendiary speeches using cheap language and orchestrating riots? Does this not amount to barbarism?
On questions regarding the temple at Ayodhya, UP state unit President Surya Pratap Shahi said that the party was of the opinion that Hinduism was the life substance of the country, but due to vote bank politics it was being attacked by parties, including Congress, SP, BSP and the Left.
If this is not trying to cater to a vote bank, then what is? The BJP is offering a cow to every poor family. I am not sure whether those who do not have space or any interest in the dairy industry will benefit. There is a subtle use of the cow as metaphor, as well. Its association with religion cannot be ignored.
Besides, on what basis has the party arrived at the conclusion that Hinduism is the life substance of the country? If it means in areas of culture, then certainly it is manifest in most parts. It is about tradition, mores and even a value system. We are not talking about yoga, babas, and public display of affection for symbols. These exist and have a place. But it has nothing to do with the country as a nation state.
Although one is quite certain the party has no chance in UP, this pushing of an agenda has come at a time when certain Muslim groups in the state started a little fire fanned by the Congress. At this point, let us be clear that the Deoband is an independent organisation and not a political party. Let it attempt to contest elections and we will see it fall flat on its face. It has no political or largescale credibility among Muslims. I keep giving the example of the Shahi Imam who lost his deposit. The BJP’s conniving method is to sell a Gujarat-Bihar dream state while retaining its ‘heritage’. It won’t work in UP, and now. But this is the party’s best chance to capitalise on the Deoband’s stupidity without even naming it. This is preparation for the national elections.
Does the person in the street care about a nice big temple (it has to be nice and big, which just shows that this is economics and not just religious)? Not really, but when the option is a Congress that is behaving like a novice, despite being a veteran in the corruption stakes, then people would look elsewhere. And if that elsewhere is offering a nice, big temple and embedding it in national pride, while giving students laptops and promising Modi’s malls and Nitish’s bridges, then this sounds utopian. Like escapist cinema, people will buy tickets. Inside the dark auditorium, they are brainwashed into believing all that they see. When they come out and are blinded by the light of reality, it is too late. And the political parties do not care about that. It is to get them to the box office.
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In another escapist move, the chief of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) K Vijay Kumar has given his 70,000 troops another dark auditorium moment to deal with the Naxalites:
"Your adversary is far too inferior than you – in training, in equipment, in physical strength, in tactics, in weaponry, in number, in food he takes. He cannot give you a face to fight. He believes in hiding, hitting and running. This is his strength. Let us also modify our tactics – be like hunters, hide in his area and hit him hard. Learn to be a junglee.”
If this is supposed to be a morale booster, then there is nothing new. Guerilla tactics are employed by security forces; they use camouflage. The reason they have to sometimes be ‘open’ is to give those not involved in such activities a sense of security. When the political machinery is inept, then the forces reflect it. The police have complained about inadequate supplies and support.
Besides, it might be prudent not to use terms like ‘junglee’. There are many who live in forests and lead such isolated lives hide and hunt for that is their only means of sustenance. Will they, who are not involved in fighting the forces, also be ‘neutralised’?
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